Tone Canal Taishido 利根運河大師堂

Miniature 88 temple pilgrimage

Between the Tone and Edo Rivers, the Tone Canal stretches a little over 7 km. The canal, built in the 1890s to open up shipping, has gentle curves and steep sides. A good time to go is during cherry blossom season. To honor the builders of the canal, a miniature 88 temple pilgrimage was created in 1913. The first station is at the Taishido. On both sides of the canal, fudasho, most of the tiny stations of the 88 site pilgrimage remain. Some are on temple or shrine grounds, but many are roadside spots, and even tucked away in thickets. It's not easy to find them all, but that's part of the charm of the pilgrimage. On the west side of Route 16, the route takes you through residential areas, past industrial yards, and farms. The east side retains more farmland so it's a more pleasant walk.